Automatic hydraulic fire-extinguishing system.



Patented May I3, 1902;.

.s. cumw. AUTOMATIC HYDRAULIC FIRE EXTINGUISHINBSYSTEM.

(Application flled Ocfi. 10, 1901.)

ZSheets-Sheet I,

(No Model.)

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Patnted May l3, I902;

J. CURRY. AUTOMATIC HYDRAULIC FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM.

(Application filed Oct. 10, 1901.)

zsheets sheet 2 (No Model.)

VIII/Ill lllll/IIIIIIII 4 3 M1 7 5m vewboz ma nouns, vzrans co. woraumu, wnsmwmom n cy UNTTEE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES CURRY, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC HYDRAULIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 699,665, dated May 13, 1902. Application filed October 10, 1901. filerial No. 78,196. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES CURRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Hydraulic Fire-Extinguishing Systems; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to automatic hydraulic fire-extinguishing systems, and more particularly to an improved form of valve to be used in said systems.

The object of the invention is to provide a valve of this character which shall be simple of construction, durable in use, comparatively inexpensive of production, and one easily convertible for use from a dry-pipe sprinkler system to a wet-pipe sprinkler system, and vice versa, whereby in freezing weather the dry-pipe system may be used without danger of the valve freezing and in weather of moderate temperature the wet-pipe system may be used, the latter system being quicker of action, and therefore preferred when the weather will permit of its employment.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated the preferred embodimentof myinvention,Figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating my improved valve, the parts being shown in the position they occupy when the valve is used in a wet-pipe sprinkler system. Fig. 2 is a similar View, the parts being shown in the position they occupy when the valve is used in a dry-pipe sprinkler system. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, partly in elevation and partlyin section, of the lever and its valve and the sliding head for controlling the sup ply of water to the circuit-connector casing of the electric alarm. Fig. l is a vertical sectional view illustrating a different method of controlling the water for actuating the circuit-connector; and Fig. 5 is a detail view,

partly in section, of one of the devices for facilitating the unseating of the water-Valve when the device is used in a dry-pipe sprinkler system.

Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes the valve-casing,havingawater-inlet 2,controlled by a gate-valve 3 and provided with an outlet-pipe 4, which is connected to a sprinkler system, conventionally represented by the numeral 5 and which may be of any wellknown or approved construction, dependent for action upon the fusing by undue heat of a seal closing the sprinkler-head 0.

7 denotes a valve-seat, and 8 denotes what I shall term, for convenience of reference, a water-valve, adapted to coact with said seat and provided with a stem 9, which projects downwardly and moves freely through theguide 10. ment after leaving the seat 7 is guided byintegral guide-ribs 11, which project radially from the valve-seat.

12 denotes an electric-a1arm circuit closed by a circuit-connector 13, which consists of a piston 14:, the stem 15 of which is provided with a head 16, adapted to close the circuit between the ends of the circuit-wires. This piston and its stem is mounted in a cylindrical casing 18, which is provided with a draw-off cook 19 and communicates with the interior of the valve-casing above the valveseat by a branch pipe 20. end pivoted to an ear 22, projecting from the inner wall of thevalve-casing, and is provided with a valve 23, adapted to close the end of the branch pipe 20, and is further provided with a sliding sleeve 24, having antifriction-rollers 25 to lessen the friction. This sleeve 24 is limited in its movement by fixed collars 26, secured to said lever, and is provided with a curved recess, which is engaged by a rounded head formed on a shank 29, projecting upwardly from the valve.

Assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the valve is used in a wet-pipe system and all of the pipes in said system to be filled with water upon the melting of the seal or burning out of one of the sprinkler-heads, the pressure within said system will be released, thus allowing the valve 8 to unseat itself to permit of the inflow of Water through the inlet 2, past the The valve in its upward move- A lever 21 has one ICO valve 8, and into the pipe 4 of the sprinkler system. In freezing Weather this form of valve is objectionable for the reason that the Water which is always within the valve-easing when the valve is used in the wet-pipe sprinkler system freezes, and thus prevents the working of the parts. As heretofore stated, it is the object of the present invention to construct a valve which may be used for either a wet or a dry pipe system, and to this end I provide the valve-casing with a valve-seat 30 above the valve-seat 7 and place within the casing what I shall term an airvalve 31, which is adapted to coact with said seat and which is guided in its vertical movement by a guide-arm 32, projecting upwardly from the valve and engaging a guidering 33, having arms 34 bolted to the interiorwallofthecasing. 'lhisconstructionpermits of the ready removal of the valve for the purpose of repair.

35 denotes an interiorl vscrew-threaded sleeve projecting upwardly from the valve 31, and 39 denotes a lug project-ing downwardly from said valve and provided with a curved recess 37, adapted to fit a curved enlargement 38 on the sleeve 24, as shown, when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2.

33 denotes a screw adapted to engage the interiorly-screwthreaded sleeve and provided with a shank 39and an operating-knob 40. The shank 39 extends loosely through a screw-threaded nipple 41 secured to the top of the valve-casing, and is provided with a fixed collar 42.

43 denotes a vent-pipe leading from the upper end of the valve-casing to and connecting with the pipe 4 and provided with a valve 44.

46 denotes a compressed-air-supply pipe through which the system is charged when the device is used in a dry-pipe system.

47 denotes crank-arms mounted in casings 48 and provided with a handle 49. A torsionally-acting spring 50 is located in each casing and has one end attached to the arm 47 and the other end to the casing. The inner end of each arm projects Within the valvecasing below the valve 8 and, as shown in Fig. 2, engages the lower side of said valve. The tension of the spring is not, however, sufficient to overcome the air-pressure within the system above the air-valve 3l,and hence said spring-actuated crank-arms will not move the valve 3 from its seat; but the instant the air-pressure is diminished within the sprinkler system the pressure of water entering the valve-casing through the inlet 2, augmented by the spring-actuated arms, will quickly elevate the valve 3 fromits seat, and as the lug 36 is in engagement with the sleeve 24 and said sleeve is in engagement with the head carried by the valve 8 the valve 31 will be raised from its seat, and in moving upwardly the air within the valve-casing above the valve 31 will escape through the pipe 4 and through the pipe 43, which latter pipe is open when the dry-pipe system is in use and closed when the wet-pipe system is in use. The alarm will be sounded in the same manner as previously set forth in the description of the wet-pipe system. In the upward move ment of the valve 8 the crank-arm 47 will be rotated to bring its end 50 in a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 2, and in this position the movement of the crank-arm is arrested by the handle 49 coming in contact with a pivoted latch 51, arranged within the path of movement of said handle and held in that position by a spring-catch 52. The valve, with its superposed Weight, will thus be held by the crank-arm above said seat, so as to offer no obstruction to the inflowing of water.

In converting the valve for use in a wetpipe system the handle 49 of the crank-arm is turned to swing the end of the arm swiftly downward to allow the valve 8 to seat itself, and in this position the crank-arm is held by the latch 51. The screw 38, which when the valve is used in a dry-pipe system is held up through a screw-threaded nipple 41, is now unscrewed from said nipple and engaged with the screw-threaded sleeve 24. Now by rotatin g the knob 40 the valve 36 will be elevated from its seat to a position above the inlet of the valve-casing and will be held in that position by the screw. The valve 44 in the pipe 43 is closed. later is turned on by opening the valve 3 and all of the pipes of the system filled by the valve unseatingitself. As soon as the pressure above the valve equals thatbelow, the valve will reseat itself, as shown in Fig. 1, and thus close the end of the pipe 20, and when this has been done the cook 19 may be opened to permit the Water contained in the pipe 20 and casing 18 to drain therefrom and allow the circuit-connector to resume its normal position. When pressure is released within the system, the valve 8 will unseat and swing upwardly the lever 21, remove the valve 23 from the end of the pipe 20, permit water to rush into the same and into the cylinder 13, and force the piston 14 of the circuit-connector upwardly to close the circuit and sound the alarm. If desired,I may provide the valvecasing with a drain-pipe 53, which will enable me to drain off all the water from the casing when it is desired to convert the valve for use from a wet-pipe system to a dry-pipe sys tem. The valve-casing may also be provided with hand-holes, by means of which access may be had to the interior of the casing for the purpose of cleaning, renewing, or repairing the parts. It will thus be seen that by the employment of my invention I can easily and expeditiously convert an automatic hydraulic fire-extinguishing apparatus from a wet-pipe to a dry-pipe system, and vice versa.

In Fig. 4 of the specification I have shown a modified form for operating the circuit-- closer. I have dispensed with the valve 23 and have curved the end of the pipe 20 up wardly, so as to be engaged by the watervalve 8 and opened and closed by the movement thereof.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, mode of operation, and advantages of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and details of construction maybe made within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a controlling device for a combined wet and dry pipe fire-extinguishing system, the combination with the valve-casing having an inlet and an outlet, valve-seats arranged between the inlet and outlet, an airvalve and a water-valve to engage said seats and held thereto by air-pressure within the dry-pipe system and separably connected to each other, means for holding the air-valve elevated above said seat when the device is used in a wet-pipe system to permit of the free upward movement of the water-valve,

and spring-actuated crank-arms arranged below the water-Valve and pressing upwardly to augment the force of the inflowing water when the device is used in a dry-pipe system, substantially as set forth.

2. In a controlling device for a combined wet and drypipe fire-extinguishing system, the combination with the valve-casing having an inlet and an outlet, valve-seats arranged between the inlet and outlet, an airvalve and a water-valve to engage said seats, the Water-valve being provided with an upwardly-projecting shank and the air-valve being provided with a downwardly-projecting lug, means for elevating said air-valve from its seat and holding it in such position, an electric alarm, and a lever interposed between the ing and the shank and upon the opening of the valves adapted to permit of the sounding of the alarm, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES CURRY.

Witnesses:

STANLEY PETIT, EDW. PENDERG-AST. 

